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Sciurus niger

var. shermani

SHERMAN'S FOX SQUIRREL

Florida native

Florida Species of Special Concern

This rare tree squirrel can be found in sandhills, floatwoods and other habitats with scattered pines and oaks throughout most of the peninsula north of the Caloosahatchee River on the west coast and from Miami-Dade County northward on the east coast. The range extends west to between the Aucilla River to the Apalachicola River in Florida and north into central Georgia.
Noticeably larger than the common gray squirrels, Sherman's fox squirrels have highly variable body coloring, with the head usually black, ears and muzzle often white.
Sciurus niger shermani is a species of special concern due to habitat loss. They seem to prefer and thrive when the natural fire frequency keeps their habitats more open. Big Cypress, or mangrove, fox squirrels - S. niger avicennia - are a threatened species of southwest Florida. Southern fox squirrels - S. niger niger - are found in the Florida panhandle, ranging through the coastal plain and piedmont regions of the southeastern United States.